Improvement in sewing-machines



SHAW @L CLARK.

Patented' April 21. 1863.4

nw 4 2, oo 3 0. N

' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GHAS. A. SHAW AND JAMES R. CLARK, OF BIDDEFORD, MAINE.

IMPROVEMENT IN SEWING-MACHINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 38,246, dated April 21, 18613.

To all whom 'it' may concern: i

Be it known that we UHARLEs ASHAW and JAMES lt. CLARK, of Bi-ldei'ord,n the. county ot' York and State of Maine, have invented a new and usei'ul In'iproveinent in Sewing-Machines; and we hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the saine, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, ot' which drawings- Figure 1 is a side elevation oi' ourimprovcd machine, showing the method of attaching the machine to a table, and iepresenting it in a proper position for working. Fig. 2 is a side elevation, showing the opposite side from that 4shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a transverse longitudinal section. Fig. 4 is a sectional view, showing the groove in the wheelsin which the needle rests.

Corresponding letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the dili'erent iigures or drawings.

Our improvement is in that class otmachineswhich use a common sewing-needle and make a handstitch orrunningstitch-fsuch as is, made by bandand relates to an improved method ot' combining and arranging the motive and crimping wheels in plates or bearings havingaspring 4betweenV them, andjointed near one end, which plates can be readily detached from the main body of the machine.

1n Fig. 1, A is the bed-piece or body ofthe machine, which we make about seven inches long, two inches high, and four inches wide, of iron cast about one-quarter of an inch thick. B is an arm attached to the bed-piece, and having a spool-stand, C, for the spools d d on one side and the thumb-screw E disposed in one end. is an adjustable screw having a socket in its end in which the eye end of the needle z is held.`

A gage or guide,'h, is attached to the top of the machine by the thumb-screw t'. The cogsff' are driven by meansot' the crank g, and are fastened to ends of the shafts or journals about three inches long, to the opposite ends of which shai'ts the small cogsm m" are attached, `as shown in Fig. 2, the whole being disposed ina frame-worker support, or arranged in the plates 4 5 5', which framework is attached to the top of the main body ot' the machine A by means of the screws n n. This frame-work is composed ot' two parts or plates which are joined by a hinge or joint near the end next the crank a and main wheels fj". Besides the wheels m mi', there are also two other wheels, m ni, whichwork in connection with thein,andareattached tojournalsorshafts arranged in the plates 4 and 5 5', Fig. 3, but which shafts do not at their other ends pass Vout through said plates, like the shafts on which the wheels. ff are arranged. Between the. plates, and nearest the end where they are connected by thejoint, is a coiled spring, 3", Fig. 3, which, when the screw E is turned up, operates to throw up or elevate the plate 4, and consequently the upper wheels, thus allowing the work or needle to be pnt in or taken out ot' the machine more readily. The crank g, Figi, and wheelfareontheopposifeend ot'thesame shaft to which the wheel in, Fig.2, is'attached, and the wheel j", Fig. 1, is on the opposite enil of the saine shaft to which the wheel m is at? tached, Fig. 2. The wheels m m m m have each a small groove, n n, Fig. 4, i'or the needle to work in, and are so arranged with respect to each other that when the screw E is vturned down. pressing the plate 4 down toward the plate 5 5', the top wheels, m m', are made to engage with the bottom ones, m m; but all the wheels m m m m" are so disposed that they never engage or come in contact laterally-that is to say, none of said wheels ever come in contact with any excepting the wheel immediately over or under it. The wheel m and the one over it, Fig. 3, are, however, arranged so as to run as near the wheel m and the one under it as possible without touching them. Thus it will be seen that with the ma` chine in the proper position, as in Fig. l, and the plate 4 turned down, so that the upper and lower wheels engage, by turning the crank g motion will be communicated, through the wheelsff ,to the wheels m m', and through them to thecorresponding wheels,m m, in such a manner as to cause the two top ones to revolve from right to left and the two bottom ones to revolve from left to right.

The machine is operated as follows: Take a common sewing-needle, z, and thread it with a thread, :l: the same as for hand-sewing; turn up the screw YE, allowing the spring 3 to throw up the plate 4, so that the upper wheels will be disengaged from the lower ones; insert the needle in the groove t: n between the wheels, in the position shown in Fig. 2, in such a manner that the point of the needle will come exactly to the center of the right-hand pair ot' wheels, (or the Wheel m and the one over it,) and turn the screw O up against the eyeend of the needle to keep it in that position. Now turn down the screw E until the upper and lower wheels engage and enter the cloth to be sewed between the left-hand pair ot' wheels, turning the crank g slowly. The cloth will th ns becrimped or corrugated and passedonto the needle. WVhen the needle is filled turn the crank back a little, so as to detach the needle from the screw O, and gently slip the cloth olil the needle onto the thread then readjnst the needle in the screw O and proceed as before. A little experience will enable this to be done very rapidly. The top Wheels should not be pressed down upon the lower ones so as to cnt the cloth, or so little as not to crimp it properly. f

y arranging the plates 4 5 5 in the manner described and connecting them by ajoint at the end nearest the crank g'the capacity of' the mat-bine is greatly increased, as it leaves an open space between the plates from the joint to the wheels m m m' m for the work to pass through. This arrangement also permits the plates, as well as the shafts to which the wheels areattached,to be madeofanylengthde sired., thus increasing the capacity of the niachine in av corresponding degree. The use of the spring 3 greatly facilities the putting in and taking out of the needle and work, as the plate 4 is thereby caused to rise as fast as the screw E is' turned up. By combining the wheels m m m m" and their shafts with the wheels ff', crank g, spring 30, and plates 4 5 5' in the mannerdescribed, so that the whole can be removed or detached from the main machineA in a body by means`ot' the screws n u, t-he labor of constructing the machine is greatly lessened, and the machinery ismore easily repaired when out ot` order. A part of the top ot' the main machine A is cutaway, as shown in Fig. 3, to admit the insertion of these parts. The lower wheels, when in position, are mostly below the top ot the machine7 as shown in the last-named figure.

We are aware that machinery for sewing With a common needle and having crimping.- wheels, suchas described, has been used heretot'ore, as in the expired patent of B. W. Bean. of March, 1843, and the alleged inventions of Rogers, Palmer, and others. In some of these screws were used to press the wheels together; but they were arranged in the same cap or plate in which the wheels were, thus limiting the capacity of the machine to very narrow work. We make no claims Whatever to anything invented by the said Bean, Rogers, Pal: mer, or others; bnt

What we consider as of ourinvention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The combination and arrangement ot' the wheels m m m' m and their shafts with the spring 3 and plates 4 5 5', which plates are connected at one end bya `joint or its equivalent, substantially in the manner and for the purposes set forth and specitied.

2. Arranging and. combining the wheels m m rm. m, wheels ff', crank g, and spring 3 with each other and with the plates 4 5 5', in such a manneras to be taken ont of'or put into the body ofthe machineA, all at onetime, by means ot' the screws n u, or their equivalents, substantially in the minner and for the purpose set forth and specified.

CHARLES A. SHAW. l JAMED` R. CLARK. 

